Fire-escape.



Nu. s9|,92a. Patented Ian. 28, I902. H. BEHRENS.

FIRE ESCAPE.

(Application filed Aug. 18, 1900.)

(No Model.)

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UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

' HEINRICH BEHRENS, OF OBERHAUSEN, GERMANY.

FIRE-ESCAPE.

SPEGJIFIECATION formingpart of Letters Batent No. 691 ,928, datedJanuary 28, 1902,

Application filed August 13, 1900. Serial No. 26,674. (No model.)

To all whom, it may concern.-

Be it known that I, HEINRICH BEI-IRENS, architect, a citizen of Germany,and a resident of Oberhausen, Rheinland, Germany, have invented certainnew and useful Improvements in Fire-Escapes, of which the following is aspecification.

This invention relates to an improved fireescape that enables persons toescape from the upper stories to the street in case of fire, and moreparticularly to ladders or stairs which are permanently secured to thefront or side wall of a building.

The object of the present improvement is to provide a fire-ladder orstaircase, which can be applied conveniently and quickly in case ofneed, but is not in the way when out of use.

ends, where they are connected by parallel transverse arms Z) c. Theoverlapping portions of the ladders A B, together with the armsb 0, thusform a parallelogram, as shown in Figs. 1 and 2. Within thisparallelogram is fitted the bearing a of a shaft a, around which theladder is revoluble, and which is secured to the building. The bearing ais provided with curved projections a which extend into diagonal cornersof the parallelogram and serve to brace the same.

The fire-escape is normally nearly in a horizontal position, as shown inFig.1, and may be swung upon the pivot a, so as to assume an inclinedposition, as represented in Fig. 2. In this position the upper end ofthe staircase or ladder is underneath a window or door and in closeproximity to a balcony or platform, to which it can be secured by a hookis, while its lower end reaches to the street-level.

In case of large buildings the staircases 0r ladders may be long enoughto reach across two or more stories instead of only one.

Two or more fire-escapes may be mounted one above the other in such amanner that persons may pass from one to the other. In case of longbuildings several fire-escapes maybe applied to the same front at thesame level.

What I claim is- 1. A fire-escape composed of a pair of overlappingladders, a pair of connecting-arms to form a parallelogram, a bearingwithin said parallelogram, and a pivot received by the bearing,substantially as specified.

2. A fire-escape composed of a pairof overlapping ladders, a pair ofconnecting-arms to form a parallelogram, a bearing having projectionsthat extend into diagonal corners of said parallelogram, and a pivotreceived by the bearing, substantially as specified.

Signed by me at Dusseldorf, Germany, this 25th day of July, 1900. l

HEINRICH BEHRENS.

Witnesses:

WILLIAM Essnnwnnv, PETER LIEBER.

